The Text that Saved my Life

I remember signing up for Bright Pink’s Breast Health Reminders™ without giving it much thought. Let’s be honest, we all live on our phones so what’s one more text a month?

When that first message popped up, I spent a lot of time checking my body to make sure everything felt okay. It did. So I went on with my life. For the next few months, I would get my reminder from Bright Pink and spend some time feeling for anything abnormal. It became habit.

It would have been so easy for me to become complacent. I was 34 years old and, month after month, everything seemed fine. Until it wasn’t.

Then my August reminder came, and I found a lump.

Commence the mammograms, ultrasounds, surgery and eventual diagnosis. Luckily, we caught my breast cancer in its early stages and I was going to be okay.

My journey to okay started because of a text message. Had I not signed up for Breast Health Reminders, had I grown lazy and ignored them each month, my prognosis could have been much different.

That text truly saved my life.

Erin (left) with her sister and nieces.

This is my story but, really, it could be anyone’s story. The fact is, all women have at least a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime and, for those with a family history of the disease, the risk is even higher. But, there’s good news. All young women have the power to be powerful advocates for their own health and being proactive is the first step.

We know the odds. We know how high the stakes are. And, this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m here to remind you that we have the power to do something about it by signing up for Bright Pink’s Breast Health Reminders today.